Apparatus for ore concentration



F.GRocH. APPARATUS FOR ORE lCONCENTRATION.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I9. 1916.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

noa/Hoz )Frank ('roch l improved'ap'aratuslforpractising amethod TojZZ whomitmay'fconcen;

c Y Begitknown that IIQFRAN yzenf "of the; United states residing f in' of Y eaocnzesconliiir, onrliaidcnnnmtf i KffGROCHr-a citii balt", in the Province 'of Ontarioand'Do- `minion `of Canada, :have invented; certain*` new and useful `Improven'aentsin Apparatus 'for' Ore Concentration, -of the follow- Ving is a f'specification. f

rther treatedfg Y K i The' object yof my invention is to `provide Y l"of concentration of the-kindreferred to."

ik AVwith' Vthe froth-producing agentu- I have into streams and aerated before it enters A In one form of 4 In such processes it is important thaft'fthe` ore .pulp should be thoroughly aerated in 25 orderY that thev metalliferous particles,I 4may be separatedfromthe gangvue andv thatthey may be carried to thev surface ofthe bath found that this maybe most eiiiciently doneA by causing the fluid pulp to ybe* broken lup the settling vessel. e Y v y ,v l the apparatus whichI employj'the liquid pulp is delivered lto a receiving vesselphaving .a perforated bottom` through which the 3pulp passes to a chute which delivers to the settling vat;` Air isV `admitted to the chute 'belowthepartitionA and commingles with the streams orf-pulp ingagent rises `to the top 'of the vessel with y the metallic values and overflowsinto an 9 overflow launder. Preferably the settling and thus aerat'es it; VIn the settling vessel' the gangue descends and passes out through a discharge opening while thefroth-produc# vesselis provided with means for introduclng air or waterS or both under'pressure into its lower portionin order to agitate the pulp y and promote `the separation of the gangue from the metalliferousparticles.:l ,I may employ a settling'vessel havingv aflat or i horizontal bottom with a central discharge I opening in which case I "preferably employ slowly rotatngi Varms vcarrying blades l ar-v ranged to gently agitate vthe pulp and to move the settled particles toward thefdisquired. f f

(charge opening "of thevesselg4 -or the' settling 'vesseli may be conical, 1in which case the settled-particles will automatically move to# .wardthe discharge opening and `the use4 of rotating V.discharging` appaiatus' fisgnotv re- My improvements are illustratedfinvthe-ac?` y tion of apparatuswhichvjm'ay be employed 'l in the practice ofy my inventionig` e Fig.` 2 is a plan view jof-theperforated 'l partition betweenthe 'pulp-receiving vessel andthe chute which deli-versfftc;v the settling Fig@ 3 showsfa vertical' section of a'n'iodi- `Referring toFig. `1',,A'indicates lal settlingV fvat having anlover-flow launder'a, andac'eny tlal distrzhargeopeningaI which vris)l formed in a Y,central y'depressed "portion a2 of thefvat f struction. Fluid-pulp :from the Avmill or plant is deliveredthrougha trough or conduit C to a receptaclev D; separated from the chute E by a perforated partition F. The chute and `receptacle maybe supportedon 1 the `vat A by brackets 4or vsupports Gr.V -The partiticm F is y] oreferably,y but ynot neces.-

'sarily, concavo-convexfand itl is provided Witlia multiplicity 'o f openings' f which are preferably made square'l as indicated in l, Fig. 2. T he partitionfrests on a flange f in the receptacle D and'hask aV central open- .ing f? 'for the',l shaft B- which lextends veral tically through it and also through asleeve `f3k connected with the partition and. which .preventsl iluid from passingl around the shaft into the chute.v The `receptacle D is provided with an overflow launder d con nected by a pipe d with'the chute below the partition so that should the fluid pulp rise so high in the receptacle 'D asvto overflow` f; i Y

itV will not be wasted butwill pass-through thepipe cl into the chute and thence into theV vatrv` duced intothe chute ,below vthe partition' by means of pipes [which are preferably of Bilidicates'jarms "carrying-v blades bf for v gently'agitating the `pulpf'"and for moving fthe settled material* toward the *depressedportionforwell a2: v.-'lheQ-arms,QB are" vat'- tache-d to a prenatal shafs-Bffwnieh is* driven by suitable. mechanism Bzfof ordinary con-y Ordinarily,r however, Vthe fluidi Y i level :is `grfnaintained nin the receptacle D, asl

indicated.y in'the drawingsgj Airis introi f 'e considerable klength and extend vertically,

l as i indicated. lThe fluid is contini uously supplied through the trough C to the receiver D and it flows through the openings f and through the chute inv streams which so subdivide the pulp that the air introduced through the pipes I is thoroughly commingled with it, and the pulp enters the settling `vatin a thoroughly aerated condition. It will be understood that a frothproducing. agent, suchas oil, is mixed with the pulp either at the plant or in the `vessel nI) or with less good results it may `be added .tothe pulp in the settling vat. case av foam rises to the top of the settling In either vessel 'and overflows to the launder a, with the nietallicqvalues. The gangue settles to the lower portion ofthe settling vessel 'and is discharged througfhl the central opening therein.

p The air or' water introduced into the lower portion of the'settling vessel p rot jmotesf theoperation.

The settled material passes through the d. Y openingfa andv out' through a discharge pipe N provided with a valve or gate P for regulatingthe discharge. V. Y

In'F ig. 3 I have shown, apparatus similar inmost respects tothat shown in Fig. l eX- `ceptthat the rotary apparatus for moving thesettled material to the discharge p opening is dispensedfwith, In this case the set- I claim as niy invention:

l. Apparatus for Vaerati'ng pulp, compris-V ing' a chute, a pulp,A receiving vessel above thechute, a perforated partition between 4the vessel and jthe chute-'for sub-dividing vthe pulp into: thin streams which pass in such condition through-fthe chute, a pulpr containing vesselinto which the chute projects and whose liquid levelvis above ,the

lower end of the' chute,.-V and a pipe com- 1 lmunieating with the upper' portion ofthe chute below.' the partition through which air from the atmosphere passes into the chute.

2. Apparatus for "aeratingr pulp, coIn-g` prising a vertically arranged chute, a pulp lreceiving vessel aboveV the chute, a Vperfo-- rated partition between the vessel Vand the chute for sub-dividing the 'pulp into thin `into which the chute [projects and whose liquid level is abovethe lower end of the `chute whereby the chute is sealed at itsA lower ,end 'Y against the entrance of air therethrough, a pipecommunicating with the up- .,streains, which, passV ,in such condition -through the chute, a pulp containing vessel per portion of the chute below the partition v through'which air is drawnffroni` the atrnos-` phere into the chute, an overflow trough for thepulp receiving vessel, and aipipe leading from said overflowtrough tol-.the chute.

In testimony whereofl I" have hereunto SubSCI'lbGCl "FRAK encon. Y. Witnesses: y.

.FLEMINQ DIANA'GAGNQN. 

